Sheet orienting and aligning mechanism



p 1963 J. H. CHECKETTS ETAL 3,104,099

SHEET ORIENTING AND ALIGNING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 29, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet l I/VVEN I? JACK CHECKET? R ZTHERT, formerly known as, JACK H. CHECKETTS GEORGE D. LA LL Sept. 17, 1963 J. H. CHECKETTS ETAL SHEET ORIENTING AND ALIGNING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 29, 1961 GATE United States Patent On ice 3,104,099 Patented Sept. 17, 1963 3,1tl4,099 SIEET ORIENTING AND ALEGNING MECHANISM Jack H. Chcclretts, Endicott, and George B. La Tell,

Vestal, N.Y., assignors to international Business Machines Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Nov. 29, 1961, Ser. No. 155,635 12 Claims. (Cl. 271-27) This invention relates to sheet orienting and aligning mechanism, and more particularly to mechanism for aligning sheets which are delivered to the mechanism in disarranged random oriented fashion.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a mechanism which, when sheets are supplied thereto in disarranged handfuls or bunches and without any smoothing or other preconditioning, is capable of delivering such sheets in one of a predetermined limited number of possible oriented relations, so that a work operation may be performed thereon.

Another object is to provide a mechanism of the above general type capable of orienting and aligning sheets irrespective of random variations in their length or thickness.

Another object is to provide a sheet orienting and aligning mechanism wherein sheets are carried along by a stream of high velocity air or other fluid and spewed out fiatwise from an exit opening and oriented by the current of the fluid stream.

Still another object is to provide a sheet aligning mechanism embodying means for reducing the possibility of sheet jams at the exit opening, and also embodying means automatically operative to curtail continued supply of sheets to the mechanism whenever it tends to become overloaded.

According to these objects, the sheet orienting and aligning mechanism embodying the invention comprises a housing providing a chamber having a cylindrical wall, and fluid inlet port means and a sheet exit slit both diverging substantially tangentially from said wall at points spaced therealong. Sheets are admitted in disarranged randomoriented relation and without preconditioning through a chute that opens through the side wall of the housing. Air under pressure supplied to the inlet port means creates a stream of fast moving air adjacent said wall to carry random ones of the sheets generally in a path conforming to said wall and spew them out the exit slit in an aligned or oriented fashion. The mechanism also preferably comprises paddle wheel means rotatably disposed within the chamber and having arms or vanes which with considerable radial clearance sweep by the wall to dislodge any misoriented sheets which may tend to become clogged in .the exit slit. Means are also preferably provided automatically to interrupt continued supply of sheets from the chute to the chamber when the rotational speed of the paddle wheel means drops below a preselected value indicative of an overload condition.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view, partly broken away, of a sheet orienting and aligning mechanism embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation view taken generally along the line 22 of FIG. 1, and partly broken away more clearly to illustrate the invention; and

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram for controlling a feed gate preferably associated with the mechanism.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sheet orienting and aligning mechanism embodying the invention comprises a housing 9 providing a chamber 10 defined by a cylindrical wall 11. The housing is preferably annular in shape and sectionalized to include a flanged metallic disc 12 and a flanged transparent plastic disc 13 snapped over the flanged open end of disc 12. Disc 12 is mounted against and suitably carried by a support plate .14. A sheet conveying means, illustrated as a chute 15, is provided to admit disarranged random-oriented sheets 16 into chamber 10 via an opening 17 through the transparent end wall defined by disc 13. These sheets may be of random varying thicknesses and lengths. However, the sheets preferably are of substantially equal widths because, for best results, chamber 16* should be only slightly wider than the Width of the sheets 16.

Pressure fluid, preferably air under pressure, is supplied from a centrifugal fan or other suitable source vI18 via a manifold 19 to a plurality of fluid inlet ports 20. These ports are arranged in side-by-side relation and open substantially tangentially through wall 11 to deliver a stream of air which sweeps by the inner surface of said wall. The fastest moving and major portion of this stream is within a very small distance, such as about onequarter inch, from the wall 11. Sheets admitted to chamber 10 through opening 17 drop by gravity toward the lower part of wall 11 (assisted by the slinging action of a paddle wheel 39, if used) and are caught in the air stream and carried clockwise around the wall toward an exit opening or slit 21. The sheets are held close to wall 11 due to centrifugal force and the low pressure area close to said wall. Thus, random ones of these sheets will be carried such that their fiat sides tend to conform to the curvature of, and thus be concentric with, the wall 11.

Exit slit 21 extends across the full width of the chamber Iii and is preferably about one-quarter inch in height. It diverges substantially tangentially from wall 11 at a point which, as illustrated, is about 270 downstream of the inlet ports 20. Thus, the sheets which are sufiiciently smoothed out and aligned or oriented so as to be generally square with exit slit 21 can and will be expelled by the air stream from chamber 1% via the exit slit and advanced clockwise into a guide channel 22.

A suitable drive means, designated generally 23, drives the expelled sheets from channel 22 into a separator means, designated generally 24. The drive means 23, as illustrated, comprises a pair of laterally spaced belts 25. Each belt runs around corresponding pulleys 26, 27 Both drive pulleys 26 are mounted on and rotated by a common drive shaft 28. Both idler pulleys 27 are freely rotatable on a pin or stub shaft 29 that, intermediate its ends, is carried by a plate or support 34 rockably supported on shaft 28.

As viewed in FIG. 1, a suitably anchored spring 31 pulls on support 30 to bias it clockwise about shaft 28 and preferably to a limit position defined by contact with a suitably supported adjustable stop screw 32. To reduce Wear of the belts 25, this stop screw is adjusted so that when the belts are in their lowermost position, they will be spaced very slightly from the lower surface 33 of channel 22. Thus, spring 31 yieldably biases the belts 25 toward the sheets to maintain them in frictional driving contact with the sheets despite variations in the thickness of a single sheet or the cumulative thickness of superposed sheets which may be driven into channel 22. However, 'to prevent sheets from jamming in channel 22. and hence at the-exit slit 21, the belts 25 and support 30 can yield upwardly as necessary to permit superposed sheets to be advanced therepast.

The separating means 24, as illustrated, comprises two rolls 34, 35 rotating in the same direction (clockwise as viewed in FIG. 1). The periphery of roll 34 is formed of resilient material having a high coefiicient of friction, andthe periphery of roll 35 is formed of material having a low coeiiicient of friction. Thus, as a single sheet is advanced into the bite of rolls 34, 35, it will be driven through the separator means 24 under the overriding driving action of the high friction roll 34, which preferably is also driven appreciably faster than roll 35. However, if two or more superposed sheets are fed into the separator rolls 34, 35, the lowermost sheets will be fed out by roll 34; but the upper roll 35 will drive the remaining sheet or sheets back toward the channel 22 because the friction between the roll 35 and sheet contacting the latter roll will exceed the sheetto-sheet friction between the various sheets at the separator means 24.

Thus, the separator means 24 will assure that sheets will be delivered successively one at a time to a caster 36 which is mounted to swivel as necessary to align the sheets laterally against a registration edge 37. The aligned sheets then move past caster 36 into means, such as the bite of conventional feed rolls 33, that advance the sheets into a prescribed transport path.

The mechanism preferably includes the paddle wheel, designated generally 39, to sling the incoming sheets toward wall 11, as already stated. In addition, it serves to break up local concentrations of sheets and dislodge any misoriented sheets which might obstruct and tend to jam in the exit slit 21. The paddle wheel either helps push the sheets through the exit slit 21 or sweeps them past said slit for recirculation around the chamber and another try at getting out of said slit. Thus, the paddle wheel 39 helps assure continuous delivery of sheets from the exit slit 21 and virtually eliminates jams which the operator must clear.

As illustrated, paddle wheel 39 is concentrically disposed in chamber 1%) and rotatably supported on a shaft 40. This shaft is journaled in hub-type bearings 41 which are respectively carried by support plate 14- and mounted against transparent disc 13. The inner ends of bearings 41 abut the respective opposite ends of a sleeve 42 that is secured by a set screw 43 to rotate with shaft 40. A plurality of paddles or vanes 44 are spaced at equal angles around, and are carried by, the sleeve 42 so as to sweep with radial clearance past wall 11. This clearance is sufiicient to prevent the sheets from becoming wedged between the paddle wheel vanes and Wall or becoming damaged during dislodgernent. Each vane 44 preferably extends across only the radially outermost part of a corresponding U-shaped wire framework 45. This permits sheets to pass through the open portion of the framework radially inward of each vane 44.

As illustrated, pulleys 26 are driven from a main drive belt 46 through a pulley 47 keyed or splined to shaft 28. Also paddle wheel shaft is driven from main pulley shaft 47 through a spider-type slip clutch 48, a pulley 49, a belt 50 and a pulley 51. Thus, if for any reason (such as admission of an excessive number of sheets from chute 15 into chamber 10) the paddle wheel 39 should become overloaded, clutch 43 will slip and permit shaft 40 and the paddle wheel to slow down. This will prevent injury to the sheets and paddle wheel in event of overload.

The mechanism also preferably comprises means operable automatically, whenever and so long as chamber 10 is overloaded, to interrupt or curtail continued supply of sheets to said chamber. As illustrated, this means comprises a gate 52 hinged at 53 and biased by a spring 54 to a closed or shut-off position in which it is shown in FIG. 1. Whenever a solenoid 55 is energized, its plunger 56 will be attracted and, through a pin-and-slot connection with the under side of gate 52, pull the gate down to the position denoted by broken lines in FIG. 1. In this position, the gate will be retracted against a stop 57a and permit sheets 16 to fall freely from chute 15 through opening 17 into chamber 11.

Energization of solenoid 55 may be controlled in any well-known manner. As illustrated in H68. 2 and 3, the belt 50, in addition to driving the paddle wheel shaft 49, also drives the armature of a direct-current generator 57 through a pulley 53 and a shaft 59. The generator output is connected through an adjustable amplifier 60 to the solenoid 55. Thus, the rotational velocities of paddle wheel shaft 40 and generator shaft 59 are proportional; and as long as the velocity of shaft 40 exceeds the preselected value, as determined by adjustment of the amplifier 60, s-ufficient voltage will be developed to energize solenoid 55 for holding the gate 52 in its open or lowered position. However, whenever chamber 10 becomes overloaded with sheets, the velocity of paddle wheel shaft 40 will drop below said preselected value, and generator 57 will thus fail to maintain the requisite voltage across solenoid 55. Thus, solenoid 55 will drop out and permit spring 54 to raise gate 52 to its shut-off or closed position, in which it is shown in solid lines in FIG. 2. Hence, when starting the mechanism, as well as during an overload condition, gate 52 desirably will be closed and prevent admission of sheets to chamber 10 until the paddle wheel 39 attains a preselected speed.

If for any reason a jam should occur in the exit slit 21 and thus interrupt the output of the mechanism, the jam may be cleared very easily by manually turning the extension of shaft 49 at 61 (or turning belt 59) in a direction to rotate paddle wheel 39 contra to the air stream, i.e., counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 1. This turning can be accomplished without difiieulty because of the slip drive through clutch 48 and will invariably clear the jam without requiring removal of the transparent disc 13.

It will thus be seen that the orienting and aligning mechanism is capable of delivering in an oriented relation sheets of different random intermixed lengths and thicknesses. It will also be noted that the mechanism will orient disarranged random-oriented sheets even if they are bent or crumpled. Since there is no control over the sequence in which sheets are delivered to the exit slit 21, those sheets which are not properly positioned or are in bad condition may be recirculated an indeterminate number of times before being expelled from chamber 10. However, it has been found that the presence of sheets in bad condition does not reduce the average throughput of the mechanism.

If the sheets to be oriented and aligned by the mechanism are longer than they are wide, then exit slit 21 should be slightly wider than the width of the sheets but less than the length of the sheets. In such case, the sheets will be ejected into channel 22 short-edge first in one of four desired oriented positions; namely, face-up or face-down with either short-edge first. Also, the height of the exit slit 21 is preferably about one-quarter inch and extends across the entire width of chamber 10, as already noted.

A sheet aligning mechanism embodying the invention has delivered sheets in any of four desirable oriented positions at a rate of over 1500 sheets per minute. For maximum throughout, it will be apparent that means would have to be provided to assure an automatic and 'continuous supply of sheets to chute 15 so long as solenoid 55 is energized.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Sheet orienting mechanism comprising housing means providing a chamber defined at least in part by a curved wall, and a sheet exit slit diverging substantially tangentially from said wall; means for admitting sheets to said chamber in disarranged random-oriented relation;

and means for directing fluid under pressure generally longitudinally along said wail within the chamber to to create a low pressure region immediately adjacent said -wall within a fluid stream that moves rapidly along said wall and out said slit for conveying sheets to and spewing them from the exit slit flatwise and in an oriented fashion.

2. Sheet orienting mechanism comprising housing means providing a chamber having a peripheral wall at least part of which is curved, and fluid inlet port means and a sheet exit slit both diverging substantially tangentially from said curved part at points spaced therealong; means for admitting sheets to said chamber in disarranged random-oriented relation through a side wall of the housing means; and means for supplying fluid under pressure to said inlet port means to create a stream of fiuid that moves rapidly along said Wall and in so doing provides a low pressure area adjacent said wall to cause sheets to be advanced by said stream to and through the exit slit with their flat sides generally conforming with said curved part, thereby to cause sheets to be spewed out of said slit in an oriented fashion.

3. Mechanism for orienting and aligning sheets having long and short edges, comprising housing means providing a chamber having a substantially cylindrical wall, and fluid inlet port means and a sheet exit slit both diverging substantially tangentially from said wall at points spaced therealong, said slit being wider than the shortedge dimension and narrower than the long-edge dimension of the sheets; means for admitting sheets to said chamber in random-oriented relation through a side wall of the housing means and at a place from which they will drop by gravity toward the wall between said points; and means for supplying pressure fluid to said inlet port means to create a stream of fast moving fluid along said wall to cause random ones of the sheets to be driven flatwise concentrically with said wall and out said slit in an oriented fashion short-edge first.

4. Sheet orienting mechanism comprising housing means providing a chamber defined at least in part by a curved wall, and a sheet exit slit diverging substantially tangentially from said wall; means for admitting sheets to said chamber in disarranged random-oriented relation; means for directing fluid under pressure toward said wall within the chamber to create a low pressure high velocity region immediately adjacent said wall and a fluid stream moving along said wall and out said slit for conveying sheets to and spewing them from the exit slit. flatwise and in an oriented fashion; and means disposed in said chamber and having elements which with clearance move by said Wall in the direction of said fluid stream thereby to tend to break up local concentrations or jams of sheets and prevent an unoriented sheet from clogging the exit slit.

5. The combination according to claim 1, including separator means interposed between the exit slit and a transport path for assuring that sheets will be delivered singly and successively to said path.

6. Mechanism for orienting and aligning substantially rectangular sheets comprising means providing a chamber defined at least in part by a cylindrically curved surface, fluid inlet port means and a sheet exit slit each diverging substantially tangentially from said surface at points spaced therealong, and an opening via which sheets are supplied to said chamber in disarranged randomoriented fashion; and means for conveying fluid under pressure to said inlet port means to create a low pressure region adjacent said surface and a stream of rapidly moving fluid adjacent said surface to circulate the sheets within the chamber and carry them toward and spew them out of said exit slit in one of a predetermined limited number of possible oriented positions.

7. The combination according to claim 6-, wherein said slit has a height which is less than the cumulative thickness of a preselected number of sheets and a Width equal substantially to the width of said chamber, and wherein the sheets are longer than they are Wide, and slightly narrower than the width of the chamber, thereby to cause the sheets to be expelled through the exit slit short-edge first in one of four possible oriented positions.

8. The combination according to claim 6, including means rotatably disposed in said chamber and having at least one arm which with radial clearance sweeps by said surface in the direction of said stream to shift and dislodge any misor-iented sheets which may tend to become clogged in the exit slit, thereby to assure substantially uninterrupted delivery of oriented sheets by said mechanism.

9. The combination according to claim 6, including paddle wheel means rotatably disposed concentrically within said chamber and having paddles disposed only near the radially outermost ends thereof so as not to interfere with movement between the paddles of sheets lodged near the axis of rotation of said paddle wheel means, said paddles serving to tumble, and break up local concentrations of, sheets and also dislodge any misoriented sheets which may tend to jam in the exit slit.

10. The combination according to claim 8, including shut-oft means controlled by the rate of rotation of the rotatable means to interrupt further supply of sheets to said chamber via said opening when rotational speed of said rotatable means drops below a preselected value.

11. Sheet orienting mechanism comprising housing means providing a chamber defined at least in part by a curved wall, and a sheet exit diverging substantial-1y tangentially from said wall; means for admitting sheets to said chamber; and means for directing fluid under pressure generally longitudinally along said wall within the chamber to create a low pressure region immediately adjacent said wall and within a fluid stream that moves rapidly along said wall and conveys the sheets to the exit via a path conforming generally to the configuration of said wall.

12. Sheet orienting mechanism comprising housing means providing a chamber having a wall at least part of which is curved, and a fluid inlet port means and a sheet exit diverging from said wall at points spaced therealong; means for admitting sheets to said chamber through a side of the housing means; and means for supplying fluid under pressure to said inlet port means to create a stream of fluid that moves rapidly along said wall and in so doing provides a low pressure area adjacent said wall to cause sheets to be advanced by said stream to the exit with their flat sides generally conforming to the configuration of said wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3, 104,099 September 17, 1963 Jack Checketts Rathert, formerly known as Jack H. Checketts et al.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

In the drawings, Sheets 1 and 2, line 1, for "J. H. CHECKETTS ET AL." read J. C. RATHERT, FORMERLY KNOWN AS J. H. CHECKETTS ET AL. in the grant, line 1, and in the heading to the printed specification, line 4, for "Jack H. Checketts", each occurrence, read Jack Checketts Rathert, formerly known as Jack H. Checketts column 5, line 2, strike out "to"; same column 5, line 4, after "wall" insert and Signed and sea led this 12th day of May 1964.

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER EDWARD J. BRENNER Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. SHEET ORIENTING MECHANISM COMPRISING HOUSING MEANS PROVIDING A CHAMBER DEFINED AT LEAST IN PART BY A CURVED WALL, AND A SHEET EXIT SLIT DIVERGING SUBSTANTIALLY TANGENTIALLY FROM SAID WALL; MEANS FOR ADMITTING SHEETS TO SAID CHAMBER IN DISARRANGED RANDOM-ORIENTED RELATION; AND MEANS FOR DIRECTING FLUID UNDER PRESSURE GENERALLY LONGITUDINALLY ALONG SAID WALL WITHIN THE CHAMBER TO TO CREATE A LOW PRESSURE REGION IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT SAID WALL WITHIN A FLUID STREAM THAT MOVES RAPIDLY ALONG SAID WALL AND OUT SAID SLIT FOR CONVEYING SHEETS TO AND SPEWING THEM FROM THE EXIT SLIT FLATWISE AND IN AN ORIENTED FASHION. 